massacre

1 of 2

noun

mas·​sa·​cre ˈma-si-kər How to pronounce massacre (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty
witnessed the massacre of a boatload of refugees
2
: a cruel or wanton (see wanton entry 1 sense 1a) murder
3
: a wholesale slaughter of animals
Residents engaged in a citywide cat massacre.
4
: an act of complete destruction
the author's massacre of traditional federalist presuppositionsR. G. McCloskey
the Puritan massacre of statues and picturesRobert Hughes

massacre

2 of 2

verb

massacred; massacring ˈma-si-k(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce massacre (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to kill by massacre
2
: mangle sense 2
words were misspelled and syntax massacredBice Clemow
massacrer noun

Examples of massacre in a Sentence

Noun The game turned out to be a complete massacre. the infamous massacre of more than 200 Sioux at Wounded Knee, South Dakota Verb Hundreds have been massacred in the uprising. The other team really massacred us on Saturday. He really massacred that song.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Traore has made only one public appearance since the massacre, and the assessment – penned in late August – questions his state of mind and fitness for office. Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, 4 Oct. 2024 When a question was brought up over Walz's false claims of being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre, Vance didn't pounce but let his opponent offer a scattered answer, and when the Minnesotan brought up Springfield, Vance stayed away from conspiracy theories about pets being eaten. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2024
Verb
Seeing both of them talking about getting massacred in the press is tough to watch at times. Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 5 Aug. 2024 Game 1 of the 1985 Finals, with the Lakers so desperate to avenge the previous June’s loss to the Celtics but getting, well, massacred at the start of the next year’s series. Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 10 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for massacre 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'massacre.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of massacre was circa 1578

Dictionary Entries Near massacre

Cite this Entry

“Massacre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massacre. Accessed 11 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

massacre

1 of 2 verb
mas·​sa·​cre ˈmas-i-kər How to pronounce massacre (audio)
massacred; massacring
-k(ə-)riŋ
: to kill in a massacre : slaughter
massacrer
-i-kər-ər
-i-krər
noun

massacre

2 of 2 noun
: the violent and cruel killing of a number of persons

More from Merriam-Webster on massacre

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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